News and Analysis 4/13/21

Israel’s sabotage of Iran threatens regional peace and U.S. diplomacy:

• EXPLAINER: Iran Atomic Sites Targeted by Diplomacy, Sabotage (AP News)
• Opinion: Israel’s Relentless Attacks on Iran May Endanger Biden’s Diplomacy (Washington Post)
• Israel Made ‘Very Bad Gamble’ at Nuclear Plant: Iran (AFP/ Times of India)
• US Distances Itself from Alleged Attack on Iran’s Nuclear Site (Financial Times)
• Iran Says It Will Enrich Uranium to 60 Percent Purity After Natanz Attack (NBC News)

The killer remains at large as critics say that the Israeli police force has proven itself inept at solving the rise in murder cases against the country’s Arab minority. “While Israeli Arabs constitute only 20 percent out of the general population… numbers reflect that 43 percent of the total number of murders of women in Israel is of Arab women”:

• Israeli Arab Beauty Salon Owner Shot Dead at Point-Blank Range (Haaretz)

“Ramadan cuisine has no boundaries and brings up a larger issue of inclusivity in Muslim American communities”:

• From Beans and Rice to BBQ: Muslim Americans’ Ramadan Cuisine Reflects Their Diversity (Vox)

With the approach of Palestinian legislative elections, Israeli forces arrested 24 Palestinians on Monday, reaffirming the notion that Israel fears a landslide victory for the Hamas movement:

• Palestine Election: Israel’s Wave Of Arrests Sweeps Up Palestinians Before Polls (Middle East Eye)

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will likely discuss the looming withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan among the global issues as they seek “a political agreement between the Afghan government, which was largely left out of the first deal, and the Taliban that can improve the chances of stability in Afghanistan once US troops leave”:

• US Officials to Meet NATO as Afghanistan Deadline Looms (Al-Jazeera)

“Inciting ethno-religious animosity has become a means of survival for parts of Sri Lanka’s political elite”:

• What Is Behind the Anti-Muslim Measures in Sri Lanka? (Aljazeera)

As Emmanuel Macron pushes legislation to limit “Islamic-separatism”,  hate crimes and anti-Muslim sentiment have grown in hyper-polarized France with mosque vandalism and neo-Nazi threats:

• France Orders Police Presence at Mosques Ahead of Ramadan (Morocco World News)

“Launched last week, UK Muslim Film seeks to “integrate the Muslim experience into the heart of British culture” through film and television”:

• Tired of Muslim ‘Terrorists’, Charity Tackles Cinema Stereotypes (Aljazeera)

“The Iowa City School Board has already approved the calendars for the next three school years. But the superintendent has said those changes can be amended”:

• Iowa City School District to Vote on Adding Muslim Holiday to Calendar (KORG)

Abdullah Khan